The Most Precious Thing
by celestial.mxge
Summary: (Modern AU) While cleaning out Mirajane's attic, Lucy comes across a journal written by a mysterious young woman named Mavis. She immediately becomes intrigued and the more she reads about Mavis's life, the more she realizes its similarities to her own. NaLu, Zervis, Jerza, Gruvia, Miraxus, Gajevy, and more!
1. Buried Deep

**Hello, everyone! So I deleted a story that I had no inspiration for whatsoever and decided to start a new that will (hopefully) be updated weekly. It is rated M for language and** ** _probable_** **lemon. You've been warned now, haha. I hope you all enjoy this new story! ^.^**

* * *

Lucy Heartfilia let out a tired breath, her cheek resting on the cold wood of the bar. The Saturday night crowd died down, leaving only a handful of regulars. Lucy was the only one at the bar, the beautiful bartender Mirajane Strauss wiping the wood with a rag. "You feeling okay, Lucy?" she asked, her voice sweet as candy and her smile even sweeter.

Lucy looked up at the white haired girl and nodded. "Yeah, I'm just sleepy." She didn't know what time it was, but it had to be at least three. That was usually when the bar started to die down.

"Why don't you go home, then, silly?"

"I _would_ , but Natsu told me to wait for him." Natsu was Lucy's best friend, even though they only knew each other for about a year. When it got late, Natsu always wanted to walk Lucy home from the Fairy Tail bar. The only problem with that was that he tended to not leave her apartment, forcing her to sleep on the couch while he and his damn feline Happy slept in _her_ bed. Lucy was sure he spent more time in her apartment than his own and while she enjoyed his company, she sometimes needed some privacy. Natsu didn't know the definition of privacy. On more than one occasion, he walked in on her while she was showering or taking a bath and just talked to her like it was no big deal while she was fumbling to cover herself, her cheeks on fire. His impulsiveness would be the death of him someday if Lucy's signature kick wasn't.

Mirajane giggled softly. "The two of you are practically attached at the hip, aren't you?" She moved to cleaning glasses, putting them on the drying rack once they were practically sparkling. "I think it's sweet."

Lucy shrugged. "I guess," she said. "He always takes so long, though." She groaned, stretching her arms over the bar. "He's always picking fights with people, especially Gray, so he forgets about me until it's the middle of the night." Lucy let her eyes flutter closed for just a short moment.

"I think we both know that isn't true," Mirajane said, untying her apron and hanging it up on the hook. She was the only bartender here, and she was amazing at her job. The owner, an elderly man named Makarov, adored her, as did his grandson who only recently popped the question as told by the shiny diamond on her left ring finger. Mirajane was kind and always able to make people feel like family. Even Lucy felt like she was a part of one big family; she was so invested in Fairy Tail that she – and many of the other regulars – got the logo tattooed. Hers was on her right hand and she knew Mirajane's was on her thigh. Natsu had one as well, as did Mirajane's siblings and Gray Fullbuster. Regulars were mostly people without blood families, a group of misfits finding happiness with each other. It was quite nice, actually. "Oh!" Mirajane said. Lucy looked up at her, her chin now on the bar as opposed to her cheek. "Since I'm moving in with Laxus, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to help me clean out the attic tomorrow afternoon? You can keep anything you find, it's not like I use any of it! It's just that I need some help and Elfman is too busy. I asked Levy as well, so it would be you, me, Levy, and Lisanna." Mirajane was talking fast and Lucy smiled.

Lucy nodded. "Sure, Mira, don't worry about it. I'd love to help out a friend. Plus, I love vintage stuff, so it should be interesting to see what I can find." Mirajane was happy at Lucy's words, thanking her with a wide smile. Lucy was happy for her friend; she knew how much Mira always liked Laxus. In fact, she once told her that she had a crush on him since they were kids. Laxus, however, always had a sour attitude. He was an asshole to just about everyone but Mirajane, the very reason why Lucy had been so confused when Mira told her that she and Laxus were dating after Lucy first met him.

Laxus was at least twice the size of Lucy in both height and muscle and the large scar shaped like a lightning bolt on his right eye didn't help how intimidating he looked. Everyone in the bar feared him, but Lucy never saw him get into an actual fight. Natsu tried to fight him on multiple occasions, but Laxus just ignored his presence altogether. His bark was much bigger than his bite. But when he was around Mira, even Lucy noticed how his rare touches were gentle and his eyes were full of nothing but adoration. Lucy longed for the day she would meet a man who looked at her the way Laxus looked at Mirajane.

"Yo, Lucy!" A warm arm wrapped around Lucy's shoulders. She looked over at him and saw his wide grin. There was something about Natsu's body that was always warm. "You ready to go?"

Lucy yawned and nodded. "Mhm." She stood up from her seat at the bar and waved goodbye to Mirajane as Natsu walked her out of the bar, his hand on the small of her back. Lucy was more of a morning person than a night person, so she always got tired before almost all of her friends. There was more than one time that Natsu had to carry her out of Fairy Tail on his back.

The night was cool for July. Usually, Magnolia was boiling hot in the summer and freezing cold in the winter. The only reason Lucy stayed was because all of her friends from Fairy Tail were here and her father wasn't. "You okay, Luce? Do you need me to carry you or something?"

Lucy snapped out of her daydream when she heard Natsu. He was looking at her with worry evident in his dark eyes. She shook her head. "No, no, I'm okay," she said, waving him off. He nodded, but she wasn't sure if he actually believed her. He walked next to her, purposefully going slower than she knew he would have wanted to. Natsu always liked to get places fast which was why he practically ran everywhere. He didn't own a car nor did he have a license, despite being twenty-two years old, because of his severe motion sickness that pills couldn't even cure. He sometimes let Lucy drive him places, but he would complain the entire time.

"Did you get those peppers that I love?" he asked, stepping on the edge of the road that connected to the river. Lucy would always walk home like that and old men would flirt with her and then tell her that she was going to fall in one of these days.

She looked up at him, his figure slightly silhouetted by the moon. His hair stood up in all different directions, making him look a lot younger than he was. He was only a year older than Lucy, but people always assumed she was the older one. "I bought sausage as well. I can make it tomorrow after I help Mira move out."

Natsu nodded. "I don't get why she's marrying that idiot of all people."

"Why?"

"Because," Natsu started, hopping off the edge and wrapping his arm around Lucy's shoulders. Lucy never minded the touches; in fact, he had his arm wrapped around her so often that she was used to it now. Plus, she didn't mind that he was warm and blocked the breeze from hitting her. "You know Freed?" he asked and when Lucy nodded, he continued, "He likes Mira."

"Eh?!"

"He came up to me the other day. I mean, he was acting really damn weird, but you know Freed, he's always weird. But he was being extra weird and he kept on asking about Mira and Laxus and, I dunno, I felt kind of bad. I want Mira to be happy, of course, but does it have to be with _Laxus_ of all people?"

Lucy thought back for a moment. She hadn't seen Freed in a while, actually, and whenever she did, it was when Mira was off. She bonded with the long haired man when she realized that they got their Fairy Tail tattoos in the same place, but she didn't know much else about him. He was quiet and tended to keep to himself or his friends Evergreen and Bixlow. She knew that he was once friends with Laxus, too, but she hadn't seen the two together since before Laxus and Mira went public with their relationship. "I know you don't like him, Natsu, but Mirajane seems really happy with him."

Natsu pouted. "But why does someone else have to hurt?" Natsu cared about all of the people who had the Fairy Tail mark tattooed on them. In fact, he always told Lucy about how he wanted them all to be happy and healthy, even "that idiot" Gray. Even though he picked fights with just about everyone, he would give his life for them. Lucy didn't know if that was a good thing or just idiotic for leaving his heart open for betrayal.

Lucy leaned into his side. She didn't know how to answer him, so she kept quiet. He didn't seem to mind, though, because he started talking about how much his cat Happy loved the green bandana he wore in place of a collar. Lucy let him talk for the rest of the way home, smiling. She liked this: talking to him. He was always to smiley and happy, and Lucy couldn't help but feel the same whenever he was around. And maybe that was why she didn't mind him sleeping at her house.

When they reached her apartment, she pulled her keys out of her purse and started searching for the apartment key. Natsu chuckled when he saw how many keys she had, many of them just decorations. "You sure love your keys," he said.

Lucy laughed, finding the key in the midst of a few gold ones. "I think they're pretty. Problem?"

Natsu shook his head, putting his hands up in surrender. She unlocked the door and opened it, turning on the light and tossing her keys back in her purse. She hung her bag up on the coat rack that had her winter jacket that she hadn't used since March. Natsu immediately kicked off his sandals, stretching out on the futon and making himself right at home. Lucy always asked why he didn't want to go back to his own apartment, but he always waved her off and changed the subject. She was sure he only stayed there for Happy. But, even then, he brought the blue feline here to Lucy's apartment more times than she was okay with.

Lucy yawned, much too tired to think about eating or even putting on pajamas. Once she was in her bedroom, she collapsed on her bed and fell asleep almost instantly.

* * *

Lucy groaned as she started to wake up, the light streaming into the room hurting her eyes as she started to open them. She was too tired last night and had forgotten to close the curtains, so now there was a little too much sunlight coming in. She tried to turn over to rub her eyes when she got tangled up in some sort of _fabric_. She shot her eyes open and saw that she was, in fact, tangled in the scaly fabric of Natsu's scarf.

She looked over at Natsu. He still had it wrapped loosely around his neck. He never took the thing off, but when Lucy asked what its significance was, he told her it wasn't that important. She didn't believe him, of course, because who would constantly wear something that meant nothing? But she let the topic go. She started to roll over to get the scarf off of her, waking him up in the process. He groaned loudly. Lucy barely even noticed that he wasn't wearing a shirt; she was so used to him being around that it didn't bother her at all. "Stop moving around," Natsu groaned, burying his face in the pillow. He thrashed his arm out, hitting Lucy on the forehead.

"Ow!" she hissed, taking her pillow and hitting him on the head with it.

"What the hell!"

Lucy laughed, crawling over him to get off of the bed. She was still wearing her clothes from the day before. "I'm going to take a shower," she said, hoping he would understand that that meant not to barge in if he felt like it. "Then I'll be going to Mira's house."

"And you'll make the sausage and peppers when you get back, right?" He looked up at her, only one of his eyes open and a sleepy grin plastered across his face.

Lucy laughed. "Sure. Just try not to destroy my apartment while I'm gone."

"No promises."

Once Lucy was showered and dressed, she grabbed her purse and headed out of her apartment, locking the door behind her even though Natsu was still in her bed snoring like a beast. It was hot, the noon sun high in the sky. Lucy wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, already starting to sweat. She just hoped that Mirajane's attic wasn't too boiling hot. Unlike Natsu, she preferred weather that wasn't too hot and wasn't too cold. If the world were in eternal spring, she wouldn't have a single complaint. "Lu-chan!" At the sound of her name, Lucy turned around, smiling widely when she saw Levy running towards her, waving her hand high in the hair. Levy was a small girl with short blue hair. She was one of the smartest people Lucy had ever met, and she promised Levy that she would be the first one to read Lucy's novel once it was finished. "Are you heading to Mirajane's too?" she asked and Lucy nodded. "I wonder what kind of stuff she has there," Levy mused, walking in sync with Lucy. She had her hands behind her head and was looking towards the sky.

"I'm hoping for books," Lucy said and when Levy nodded in agreement, the two girls laughed together.

Twenty minutes later, Lucy and Levy were going through trunks in Mirajane's attic. Lisanna was there, too, going through clothes that she said was their great-grandmother's. She was wearing a dress that was too long for her small frame, spinning in front of a floor-length mirror. "Maybe I should keep this!"

"I don't think that fits you, Lisanna-chan," Levy said, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. She was looking through some old photos and papers, asking Mirajane (who was bringing boxes downstairs) which ones she wanted to keep.

"I think I can rock it," Lisanna said, putting on a sun hat that was at least twice the size of her head.

Lucy was hovering over a box full of photo albums and books that were missing covers and pages. She flipped through one of them, the pages yellowed. Levy and Lisanna fell into a conversation about what it must have been like to live all those years ago when Lucy stumbled upon something curious. At the bottom of the box was a leather bound book small enough to fit in Lucy's palm. She opened it, greeted with the curvy script of a journal. Curiosity took over and she started reading the first entry, dated _July 21, 1871._

 _Dear You,_

 _Hello! Journals are usually written feelings and emotions, not letters to strangers. But I'm not like everyone else, so I'm addressing this journal to you, the person reading this right now. I know it's unlikely that any eyes other than mine will read these words, but I like to think that someone is reading this._

 _You can stop reading at any time. I'm not forcing you to be here. I'm sure your life is much more interesting than mine will ever be! But I want to tell you my story, boring or otherwise. I don't even know if I'll end up filling the entire journal. I might just give up halfway._

 _Today was raining. I hate the rain, you know. It makes my hair frizzy, which makes it take so much longer to brush. I thought about cutting it; it's down to my feet, after all! But I just can't part with it. On a happier note, guess what?! My best friends and I started a bar! Crazy, right? I'm barely eighteen! But we did it. We all don't have families anymore. My parents died a long time ago and so did theirs. It's just us, so we wanted to make a living together. And thus Fairy Tail is born! It's a bar, but it's also a safe haven for people like us: people with nowhere else to go. We're excited to make people smile. Seeing other people happy makes me really happy!_

 _I know I don't have anything interesting in this first letter. But Fairy Tail is opening tomorrow, so maybe I'll have some interesting stories for you next week. Are you as excited as I am?! I sure hope so!_

 _Signed: Your newest friend,_

 _Mavis._

Lucy pressed her lips together, flipping through the pages to see that every single one was them was full of the writing of this Mavis person. Lucy wanted to tell Lisanna and Mira about this; maybe they knew how Mavis was. But she wanted to keep it, and Mirajane _did_ say she could keep anything she found. So she stuffed it in her purse. She pressed her lips together, worried that it was stealing. But she wanted to know more about Mavis. She is the one who created Fairy Tail, apparently, back in the late 1800s. Maybe each page was as boring as the first, but she wanted to make sure it was before giving up on it completely.

The words _curiosity killed the cat_ ran through her head.

"Hey, Lucy, can you hand me that box? Or are you still looking through it?"

Lucy snapped out of her dream like state to see Mirajane standing over her. Her hand was extended and she had a wide smile on her face. Lucy let out a breath to calm herself, nodding once before she picked up the box and handed it to the older woman. "I'm done with it," she said. She stood up as Mirajane started walking towards the stairs. Now Levy and Lisanna were both trying on clothes that were way too big for them both. Lucy smiled at how happy they looked. "Mira," Lucy called once Mirajane was about to walk down the stairs.

She turned back to look at Lucy, a confused look on her face. "What is it, Lucy? Everything okay?" Mirajane sometimes felt like the mother of Fairy Tail. She cared for everyone like they were her children even if they were older than she was. She was caring and nurturing, and she was able to calm anyone with that smile of hers. However, if someone pissed her off enough, she would turn into a she-devil.

"Oh, yeah, everything's fine. I just have a question."

"What's up?"

Lucy thought for a moment, pressing her lips together. "Er," she started, not sure how to word this. "How did you…know? I mean, how did you know Laxus was the one?" She didn't know where that question was coming from. Maybe it was the fact that Mira's house was practically empty now. Or maybe she wanted to know what to look for in her own love life. She had never even been on a date before; she felt like she needed to start trying to find that person for her.

Mira smiled. "Oh, that's easy! I was always comfortable around him. I didn't feel pressured to be myself and we get along really well. He's my best friend!"

* * *

After the girls were finished with Mira's attic, it was well after three in the afternoon. Levy asked Lucy to go back to the bar and hang out with her, but Lucy politely declined. She knew she would have to get back now if she wanted to make the sausage and peppers in time for dinner. And when she got back to her apartment, Natsu was still there. Except this time he brought Happy who was sitting in his lap purring as he stroked his fur. Natsu didn't look up - or even notice Lucy, for that matter - until after she was walking towards the kitchen. "Yo!" he called, smiling and waving. Happy jumped up on his head and meowed a greeting.

Lucy looked back over her shoulder at them and smiled. Sometimes it felt like the three of them were a little family. It was the closest thing she had to a real family, well, ever. Her father never paid attention to her and her mother passed away when she was a little girl. There was a reason why Lucy ran away from home. "Hey," she said with a smile, walking into the kitchen and washing her hands. If she was going to handle food, she needed to make sure she got all the germs from Mirajane's attic off of her hands. The journal resting at the bottom of her bag was haunting her conscience, making her feel a bit tense. If this Mavis person turned out to be related to Mira, Elfman, and Lisanna, Lucy would surely give it back. But the idea of knowing what life in Fairy Tail was like during its construction was too amazing to let slip through her finger tips. Lucy turned off the water and wiped her hands on a paper towel. When she turned around, Natsu was standing in front of her, the package of sausages in his hands.

"Can I help?"

Lucy cocked an eyebrow. "Do you even know how to cook?"

Natsu shook his head, but he was still smiling. "Nope, but you can just tell me what to do. I don't like just sitting around while you cook, especially after you've had a busy day." He moved so he was standing next to her, ripping open the plastic with his fingers. Happy had left his spot on Natsu's head and was now circling between his and Lucy's legs, purring.

"Here, I'll take those," she said, getting the meat from him and pushing a bag filled with five fresh peppers she bought the day before. "How about you cut the peppers and I'll handle the meat?" When he nodded, Lucy did as well. "You can cut them however you want. Just be careful, okay?" she warned. Natsu wasn't a klutz, per say, but he tended to buy his food pre cooked or from fast food places, so Lucy was a bit worried that he would accidentally cut his finger when handling the knife.

"Yeah, yeah," he said, waving her off as he grabbed a knife and started to cut the peppers. It was a very awkward handling that made Lucy giggle, so she showed him how to cut them without making the pepper fly off the counter and onto the floor, something that almost happened if Natsu hadn't reacted quickly and caught it.

For the next hour, the two of them cooked. Lucy had the meat all prepared to be put in the oven before Natsu even finished cutting two of the peppers. Laughing softly, she helped him with the last of them and they both put the small pieces in the tray with the sausages. "And now," Lucy said, her index finger up and her lips twisted into a grin. "My secret touch." She reached for her spice drawer and pulled out garlic, sprinkling a little on top. "It'll taste good, trust me,: she said when she saw Natsu's nose rise in disgust. "You'll barely taste it. It's just to bring the flavor in the meat out."

"Whatever you say, Luce."

While the food cooked, Natsu offered to set the table and Lucy fed Happy with the canned cat food Natsu brought over. She actually had ten cans of it in the drawer under her sink because she knew that, with Natsu being as impulsive as he was, he sometimes forgot to bring food. Happy happily chowed down on the food and Lucy stood up straight, brushing off her jeans. Natsu was finished with setting the table and he leaned on the counter, his lips pressed together in thought.

"Lucy," he started ad Lucy gave him a confused look. It was rare that Natsu called her 'Lucy' instead of 'Luce'. "There's something that's been on my mind lately. And it's been really bugging me."

"What is it..?" Lucy wasn't sure what to expect. Her heart was pounding in anticipation. Was he getting sick of her? She didn't thinks he would be able to handle that if it were true. Natsu was her best friend. The two of them were practically a package deal, that was how close they were.

"Do you think Happy thinks we're, like, his mom and dad?"

"Oh my God."


	2. Zeref

**Hello, everyone! And welcome back to The Most Precious Thing! I hope you all enjoy this chapter and the future chapters. I'm really enjoying writing out this plot, though. I didn't think I would finds modern AUs to be so fun!**

 **Also, sorry for not keeping to the update schedule. I have a lump on my wrist that hurts when I type sometimes, so it's been a little hard to get these done quickly. I'm so sorry! :} By the way, the next chapter of A Dragon's Claw is on the way! It's just gotten a bit long, so it's taking a little longer.**

 **Disclaimer: These gorgeous characters belong to Mashima-sensei, not me.**

* * *

 _July 28, 1871._

 _Dear You,_

 _It's been one week. My body is aching from how much work we've done! I'm almost too tired to write this, but if anyone's reading this, maybe you want to know what's happened here at Fairy Tail._

 _The first three days were really slow. Yury thought it would be funny to have me stand outside the doors to get people to come in and buy a drink. You'd think he'd know that a four foot ten, flat-as-a-board eighteen year old isn't the way to get customers in. But if you're thinking I actually put on that ridiculous costume and stood outside the doors-_

 _You'd be right._

 _Everyone walking by either ignored me or laughed at me. Yury had me in a dress with a corset an all! Just like those rich women. It was so uncomfortable, I thought it was crushing my insides. I still feel like my tummy is in my back. I got back at him, though. I forced him to clean the tomato out of my hair. Yes, someone threw a tomato at me._

 _I know what you're thinking: Mavis, you are the most gullible human in Fiore. I admit that I can be easily manipulated. I just want people to be happy! Even though I looked stupid in that costume, it had Yury chuckling and smiling ear to ear the entire time. And that's what Fairy Tail is all about! It's about finding a place to be happy and comfortable. Seeing other people happy is what makes me happy. I wonder if you (the person reading this) are the same way? Do you find happiness through others? When are you reading this? I wonder how far into the future it is. Part of me likes to think it's so far into the future and Fairy Tail is still going strong...Yes, that's all I want. I do not care if you're male or female, big or small, etc. I feel like I can trust you. So I hope you do not judge me when you read the rest of this entry..._

 _On the fourth day, Fairy Tail had a few passersby. People stopped in for a drink and said their goodbyes. Yury, Warrod, Precht, and I were getting ready to close down for the night. We all lost track of what time it was. The boys spent the night playing card games with a few of the men who came in. I, on the other hand, spent most of the night cleaning glasses. Yury taught me how to brew the drinks on the menu and while I messed up a few orders, the customers didn't seem to matter. Yury said it was because I'm a girl and because I'm tiny and cute. I laughed. Anyway, I've gone off on a tangent it seems! Each of the four of us has one key to Fairy Tail. We all founded it together, so we planned on running it together. I was about to use my key to lock up when he showed up._

 _He...The most mysterious young man I had ever met._

 _He wore a long cape, black as the unruly hair on his head. I remember when he walked up to us like it was yesterday. He kept his eyes on the ground, but being as short as I am, I saw that they were also black as the night sky. He was frowning and creepy enough for Yury to step in front of me. Men are known to grope women, especially at this hour. I wonder if it's changed for you._

 _"What do you want?" Yury demanded. I weaved my head around him so I could get another look at the stranger. He didn't look like a villain. In fact, he had a childish face. I had wondered if he was even younger than I was. (I later find out that he's two years older)._

 _When he spoke, his hoarse voice made me pity him. I wanted to pull him into a hug and never let go. He sounded lost and scared, and something about his shaking hand made me wonder if he really was. "Is this the Fairy Tail bar?"_

 _"Yes!" I piped up and Yury looked back at me like he was going to murder me. I ignored him, though, pushing him to the side and stepping in front of the young man. "We're closed now, but we open up tomorrow morning at eleven."_

 _The man looked up then and when he met my eyes, I saw a sad look. But I also felt a sense of dread, like he was a lot stronger than he looked. I wondered where he came from and it took so much will not to ask upfront. "I heard around town that Fairy Tail offers shelters to those who need it. Those without families. Is that true?"_

 _I nodded. "Yes," I said. When I tried to step closer, Yury grabbed my arm to stop me from doing so. "We offer rooms if you need one."_

 _"They're not free." Yury was the one who spoke. He looked angry and I still don't know why he was so against him staying. "They go for at least 50,000 Jewel a month. Are you sure you can afford that?" He gestured to the man's clothes. They weren't first class, but they didn't look like servant's clothes, either._

 _He nodded. "I can afford it. Please, let me stay," he said, bowing his head. "I won't be a bother to you. My name is Zeref."_

 _Long story short, you, Zeref is living at Fairy Tail now. He's our very first resident! People still come for drinks, but no one else has decided to rent out one of Fairy Tail's apartments. He said he was good at cooking too and offered to work in Fairy Tail as a chef. That way, we can serve people food, too! I had one of his teriyaki dishes and it was the best I ever had in my entire life._

 _He's always in the back room cooking. We hardly ever see him at all, but Yury has made it his life's mission to guard me. Why? Even I don't know. He hangs out around the bar when I'm working and even takes some of my shifts for me, always glaring back at the closed kitchen door._

 _I tried to pull him aside earlier tonight, but he just grunted and walked off. Do you know what's wrong with him? I know you won't answer me. I'm practically talking to myself here, after all! But I still feel like asking you...What would you do in this situation? I want to learn more about Zeref and where he came from, but Yury doesn't seem like he's going to let me anytime soon. It's all just so confusing._

 _Until next time!_

 _Your friend,_

 _Mavis._

* * *

"Lucy, you should really take a break."

"Can't. I have an exam."

Lucy was sitting at one of the booths of the Fairy Tail bar, three text books open and sprawled out in front of her. She had been writing for the last two hours, making her hand cramp up a bit. She was only taking one class at the local university (Modern Literature), but it was already kicking her ass. She had essays in addition to exams and she didn't remember a time when coffee wasn't her best friend. The class started only a week ago, but Lucy already felt like she was falling so far behind. The fact that she could never say no to Mirajane when she asked for help moving out surely didn't help.

Mirajane sat down in the seat across from Lucy, folding her hands over the table. "You've been studying all day, Lucy," she said, but when she reached over rot take Lucy's textbook away, Lucy swatted her hand. "It's a really nice day outside. Why don't we all go to the beach?"

Lucy looked up at her words, cocking an eyebrow at her. "Who's this 'we' you're talking about?"

Mirajane smiled from ear to ear. "You, me, Lisanna, Levy, Gray, Natsu...Maybe Erza, Jellal, Elfman, and Gajeel, too! Don't you think that'll be fun?"

Lucy blinked. "Yeah. If they all don't kill each other first," she stated. "You know how Natsu and Gray are around each other. And then adding Gajeel to the mix? They'll be fighting the entire time!"

"It'll only be for a day or two." Mirajane didn't seem to understand that those three didn't get along. "Your exam is Monday, right? We'll be back by Sunday evening," she said as if that weren't cutting it a little too close.

"Juvia would like to come, too. The water is Juvia's favorite thing."

Lucy didn't notice the bluenette standing at the end of the table. Her long hair was pushed out of her face with a hat. She wore a winter coat even though it was well into the summer and it was extremely hot out.

"Of course you can come!" Mirajane exclaimed, standing up. She hugged Juvia who looked extremely uncomfortable in the embrace. "I'll go tell the others. Oh, how fun! We'll all be going on a trip!" Mirajane then skipped off to another table where Levy and Gajeel were sitting. Levy also had a book in front of her, but Lucy couldn't tell if it was a school book or a book she was reading for pleasure. The white haired girl looked extremely happy and Lucy wondered if there was a time she wasn't happy.

Juvia took the seat Mirajane previously occupied. Lucy didn't want to be rude and tell her to leave, but she didn't have time to talk to anyone right now. She went right back to her textbook.

Juvia didn't say anything for a while until around ten minutes later when Mirajane was looking frantically around for Natsu. "Juvia thinks something is wrong with Mira-san and Laxus-san."

Lucy looked up from her notes to give Juvia a confused look. "What are you talking about?"

"Juvia only heard a rumor that Mira-san has been arguing with Laxus-san. She didn't say she was going to ask Laxus-san to come."

Lucy thought about it for a moment and it _did_ make a lot of sense to her. Mirajane didn't say she was asking Laxus to come with them. Lucy was about to say something else when Mirajane came back to the table out of breath and with her hand on her hip. "Well, Elfman can't come with us. He won't say why, but I think he has a thing with Evergreen this weekend. Everyone else said they'll be coming, though! This will be so much fun!" Mirajane clapped her hands together. "Juvia, can you help me prepare some sandwiches for the beach?"

Juvia nodded, smiling as she stood up from the seat. "Juvia would be honored to help Mira-san." She followed Mirajane to the back room where the kitchen was.

Lucy let out a breath, closing her books and piling them on top of each other. She would still have to study on this trip because she still needed to pass this class. She did work part time, but she needed to get a better job one day if she was ever going to move out of her apartment.

She leaned back against the soft leather of the booth when Mavis's diary caught her eye. She hadn't even realized she brought it here with her. She reached for it and was about to put it away when she found herself opening it again. She had only read two entries so far, but she couldn't help but want to learn more about this Zeref person Mavis said started working the kitchen at Fairy Tail.

The next entry was short: only half a page.

Lucy began to read.

 _July 30, 1871_

 _Dear You,_

 _This will be short. I don't have a lot of time to write right now. I'm hiding in my room, but Yury is bound to find me eventually. Something terrible just happened. You'd never believe it! There was an accident in the kitchen. Nothing too big, but a poor little chicken was burnt to death. Yury got really really mad at Zeref. I tried to calm him down because it wasn't that big of a deal. There was no damage to the building. But Yury pushed Zeref, knocking him to the floor. He even left him out in the rain. And over a stupid chicken! I feel_

The entry ended there.

There wasn't a sign off and the sentence wasn't finished. Confused, Lucy skimmed through the rest of the journal. Each page was filled, so she wondered why Mavis didn't go back to finish that entry.

"What are you reading?"

Lucy jumped a mile. She didn't even notice Natsu sit in the seat across from her. "Nothing," she said, stuffing the journal into her bag followed by the textbooks. "I was just studying," she said, waving him off.

Natsu groaned. "All you've been doing for a week is study. We don't even hang out anymore. Happy misses you."

"Just Happy?" Lucy teased.

Natsu pouted. The look made him look extremely childish for an adult. "I might miss you a little bit."

"I feel so special," Lucy said sarcastically. She zipped up her bag and was about to get up and go back to her apartment to read more of Mavis's journal when Natsu spoke again.

"But you're going to the beach with everyone, right? Mirajane said you were, but I just came over to make sure I didn't say yes for nothing."

Lucy let out a breath and nodded. "Yeah, I'll go."

"And don't bring your books!"

Lucy chuckled softly, throwing her bag over her shoulder. "I have to. I have a test."

"Didn't you study enough?"

"Just because you got through school without studying at all doesn't mean all of us have that luxury."

Natsu stood up and walked in front of Lucy, blocking her path. He wasn't tall by any means, but he was still a couple inches taller than Lucy was. "I'm only going because you are. Would you really rather read some dumb book than hang out with me?"

Lucy cocked and eyebrow. "Natsu, we hang out all the time! Plus, Lisanna will be there, too, so you can always hang out with her."

"I know," Natsu groaned. "But I've known Lisanna since we were kids. I know all there is to know about her."

Lucy didn't quite understand why he was arguing with her about this. He and the white haired girl always seemed to get along, so she didn't understand why he was defensive and didn't want to hang out with her. Lucy was sure Lisanna had feelings for him. But Natsu? No one knew if he even liked anyone at all. In the year and a half Lucy knew him, he never once went out on a date or even talked about girls he had a crush on. Romance seemed to repel right off of his body. "Okay, okay, fine," she said, waving him off. "I'll study for two hours a day. The rest I'll have fun with everyone. Okay?"

Natsu smiled, clearly satisfied with himself. "Awesome. I'll be over to pick up Happy tonight."

"You're bringing Happy?"

Natsu shook his head. "Nah, he'll stay at my apartment, though. Because his food is there."

Lucy nodded. "Oh yeah. I'm going to go to the library. It's quieter there. You can just let yourself in if I'm not there. And I'll see you in the morning." At least, that was when she assumed Mirajane wanted them all to leave. However, Lucy expected to get a group text from her later that night. She groaned at the idea of being in one big message with ten other people; her phone would be buzzing like no tomorrow.

"You bet."

Lucy walked past Natsu and out the doors. She reached into her bag and pulled out Mavis's journal once she was away from Fairy Tail. Her fingers itched to read the next entry and when she got to the library, she spent one hour reading probably the longest entry Mavis had written. It was dated August 3 and titled: _The Best and Worst Day of My Life._


End file.
